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From the height of luxury to delicious stinky tofu
By Xu Wenwen |
September 10, 2012, Monday
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NEARLY a century ago, in a block west of Dongpo Road in Hangzhou, hundreds of lane houses were established by a Kuomintang official, who created a middle-class residential area. They remain standing today.
Eighty years ago, a temporary government of the Republic of Korea was established at the crossing of Changsheng and Dongpo roads, because it was invaded by Japan and its government moved to China for help.
Thirty years ago, a seafood wholesale market was formed east of Dongpo Road, since then the place became Hangzhou's first venue for snack booths, where the cooks usually finish work after 4am.
In 2005, Hubin International Boutique Street was established between Hubin and Dongpo roads. Luxury brands from Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana to Prada and Cartier have opened shops here.
Today, Dongpo Road is a commercial street near West Lake that features restaurants, bars and boutique stores, and a street that visitors should take some time to wander around. Shanghai Daily takes a tour.
Hubiancun Block
Dongpo Road is a wide, bustling, commercial and modern road close to West Lake. Yet, at the intersection of Changsheng and Dongpo roads there is a 100-year-old residential block.
At noon, many households are making lunch, outdoors in lanes, or with their doors open. The sound of slicing and cooking could be heard, steam rises from pots and pans, while the smell of rice and other dishes waft through the air. It is a snapshot of a way of life once more common in Hangzhou. Few people in the city now live like this due to the rapid construction of modern buildings.
Buildings in the block have been listed as historical constructions because these longtang (lane) houses feature narrow, crisscrossing lanes that allow residents to meet and do things together. Some shikumen (stone-gate) houses also lie in the block, with European style reliefs on the gate head.
They were built in the 1920s by influential Kuomintang official Zhang Yichun, who rented out these houses. People who once lived here were mostly of middle class, including Kuomintang officials and their mistresses.
Today it is a block for ordinary locals, where visitors can shuttle among maze-like lanes, experience how folk people live and buy a congbaohui (fried dough wrapped with thin pan pie,) or a bowl of noodles at small eateries run by residents.
Meanwhile, the former site of the provisional government of the Republic of Korea is on Changsheng Road. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, leading many Koreans to seek exile to China. They formed a temporary government in Shanghai in 1919, and then moved it to Hangzhou in 1932.
The detailed stories of the temporary government are introduced in the former site in both Chinese and Korean languages. The site is now being renovated but it is expected to open by the end of October.
Good Longxiang Restaurant
Good Longxiang Restaurant carries on the tradition of people ordering food by looking at photos on the wall or choosing seafood from the fish tanks or that lie on ice.
The restaurant serves mostly Hangzhou cuisine, with dishes being lightly fried or steamed to keep the original taste. Alcohol marinated crab, shrimp and chicken are recommended.
They also offer a few spicy concoctions for those who prefer a little fire in their belly.
Address: 48-2 Dongpo Rd, near Xueshi Rd
Fat Sister's Stinky Tofu
The stall is at the intersection of Pinghai and Dongpo roads.
Stinky tofu is fermented tofu with a strong odor. It is a popular night-time snack, usually found at night markets or roadside stands, or as a side dish in lunch bars rather than in restaurants.
Fat Sister's is known for making the best stinky tofu in Hangzhou - even well-known food critic Shen Hongfei testifies to this claim.
Around 30 years ago, Fat Sister stood with her pan outside West Lake Cinema, running her small stinky tofu business from 10pm until the early hours of the next day. People remembered her wonderful cooking skills, but didn't remember her real name, which is how over time she has become known simply as Fat Sister.
When the small business began, most of her customers were people going to the cinema, but as her reputation spread, people started to queue up even before she opened the stall at 10pm.
Cooking stinky tofu looks deceptively easy - put the tofu in some oil and fry it. However, the timing, amount of oil and quality of tofu all matter greatly.
Fat Sister makes her own stinky tofu rather than buying it from the market, and her years of experience have allowed her to get the timing just right. Her stinky tofu is crispy outside, tender inside and accords with her slogan "smells smelly, tastes tasty."
Fat Sister's also sells meat and vegetables.
Address: 115 Pinghai Rd
Neuhaus Chocolate
Neuhaus sells the Belgium-based premium chocolate brand.
As an official supplier to the Belgian Royal Court, Neuhaus started 155 years ago and still has only one plant in Belgium.
Neuhaus invented the first filled chocolate in 1912. The story is that Jean Neuhaus started to conceal bad tasting medicines in chocolate, and later his grandson Jean Neuhuas Junior replaced the medicine with fillings and made the first praline.
More than 50 years ago the brand created four pralines named after Belgian royalty, which are sold in the store today.
Address: 5 Dongpo Rd
Eighty years ago, a temporary government of the Republic of Korea was established at the crossing of Changsheng and Dongpo roads, because it was invaded by Japan and its government moved to China for help.
Thirty years ago, a seafood wholesale market was formed east of Dongpo Road, since then the place became Hangzhou's first venue for snack booths, where the cooks usually finish work after 4am.
In 2005, Hubin International Boutique Street was established between Hubin and Dongpo roads. Luxury brands from Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana to Prada and Cartier have opened shops here.
Today, Dongpo Road is a commercial street near West Lake that features restaurants, bars and boutique stores, and a street that visitors should take some time to wander around. Shanghai Daily takes a tour.
Hubiancun Block
Dongpo Road is a wide, bustling, commercial and modern road close to West Lake. Yet, at the intersection of Changsheng and Dongpo roads there is a 100-year-old residential block.
At noon, many households are making lunch, outdoors in lanes, or with their doors open. The sound of slicing and cooking could be heard, steam rises from pots and pans, while the smell of rice and other dishes waft through the air. It is a snapshot of a way of life once more common in Hangzhou. Few people in the city now live like this due to the rapid construction of modern buildings.
Buildings in the block have been listed as historical constructions because these longtang (lane) houses feature narrow, crisscrossing lanes that allow residents to meet and do things together. Some shikumen (stone-gate) houses also lie in the block, with European style reliefs on the gate head.
They were built in the 1920s by influential Kuomintang official Zhang Yichun, who rented out these houses. People who once lived here were mostly of middle class, including Kuomintang officials and their mistresses.
Today it is a block for ordinary locals, where visitors can shuttle among maze-like lanes, experience how folk people live and buy a congbaohui (fried dough wrapped with thin pan pie,) or a bowl of noodles at small eateries run by residents.
Meanwhile, the former site of the provisional government of the Republic of Korea is on Changsheng Road. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, leading many Koreans to seek exile to China. They formed a temporary government in Shanghai in 1919, and then moved it to Hangzhou in 1932.
The detailed stories of the temporary government are introduced in the former site in both Chinese and Korean languages. The site is now being renovated but it is expected to open by the end of October.
Good Longxiang Restaurant
Good Longxiang Restaurant carries on the tradition of people ordering food by looking at photos on the wall or choosing seafood from the fish tanks or that lie on ice.
The restaurant serves mostly Hangzhou cuisine, with dishes being lightly fried or steamed to keep the original taste. Alcohol marinated crab, shrimp and chicken are recommended.
They also offer a few spicy concoctions for those who prefer a little fire in their belly.
Address: 48-2 Dongpo Rd, near Xueshi Rd
Fat Sister's Stinky Tofu
The stall is at the intersection of Pinghai and Dongpo roads.
Stinky tofu is fermented tofu with a strong odor. It is a popular night-time snack, usually found at night markets or roadside stands, or as a side dish in lunch bars rather than in restaurants.
Fat Sister's is known for making the best stinky tofu in Hangzhou - even well-known food critic Shen Hongfei testifies to this claim.
Around 30 years ago, Fat Sister stood with her pan outside West Lake Cinema, running her small stinky tofu business from 10pm until the early hours of the next day. People remembered her wonderful cooking skills, but didn't remember her real name, which is how over time she has become known simply as Fat Sister.
When the small business began, most of her customers were people going to the cinema, but as her reputation spread, people started to queue up even before she opened the stall at 10pm.
Cooking stinky tofu looks deceptively easy - put the tofu in some oil and fry it. However, the timing, amount of oil and quality of tofu all matter greatly.
Fat Sister makes her own stinky tofu rather than buying it from the market, and her years of experience have allowed her to get the timing just right. Her stinky tofu is crispy outside, tender inside and accords with her slogan "smells smelly, tastes tasty."
Fat Sister's also sells meat and vegetables.
Address: 115 Pinghai Rd
Neuhaus Chocolate
Neuhaus sells the Belgium-based premium chocolate brand.
As an official supplier to the Belgian Royal Court, Neuhaus started 155 years ago and still has only one plant in Belgium.
Neuhaus invented the first filled chocolate in 1912. The story is that Jean Neuhaus started to conceal bad tasting medicines in chocolate, and later his grandson Jean Neuhuas Junior replaced the medicine with fillings and made the first praline.
More than 50 years ago the brand created four pralines named after Belgian royalty, which are sold in the store today.
Address: 5 Dongpo Rd
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